History of the 49ers
The Long Beach State, known as the 49ers, is the athletic team that represents California State University, Long Beach. Teams compete in 19 sports at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level. Long Beach State is a founding member of the Big West Conference and competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and the Golden Coast Conference for sports not sponsored by the Big West.
College Sports Established
1949
Location
Long Beach, California
College Name
California State University, Long Beach
Collegiate History
1969 - Present / NCAA Division 1
1957 - 1969 / Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association
Conference History
1969 - Present / Big West Conference
Nickname
49ers - To its credit, the university has begun to use the 49ers name, logo, and vernacular to be associated not with the Gold Rush of 1849, but the school's founding in 1949. The legend of 1949 goes back not just to a date in time, but the fact that the university’s first president, Pete Peterson, frequently spoke of the Long Beach institution as having “struck the gold of education” (Source). While the university continues to use the 49er mascot and logo with its athletics, the meaning of it has indeed changed - at least the intended meaning of the symbol. And the university is very heavily invested in the 49er name—not just because of its origin story, but the very fact that guess what its bookstores on campus are named—"The 49er Shops at the Beach!"
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.